Pakistan Financial News

Rajab Butt, one of Pakistan’s most prominent social media figures, is now at the centre of a blasphemy case. The controversy erupted after he launched a fragrance called «295,» directly referencing the blasphemy section of Pakistan’s penal code. A video promoting the perfume, now deleted from his accounts, quickly drew backlash. TLP leader Haider Ali Shah Gillani filed a formal complaint against Butt on Monday. “Our religious sentiments have been hurt,” he said. “There are numerous sections in the penal code, but why did he choose blasphemy-related sections to name a perfume?” Speaking to AFP, he added, “This means you acknowledge the offence and are celebrating it. This is essentially an attempt to normalise such actions.”

US Congress on Monday seeking to impose sanctions on Pakistan's Army chief, General Asim Munir, for his alleged role in persecuting political opponents, including former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, The Hill reported. The legislation, titled the "Pakistan Democracy Act," was introduced by Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and calls for targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The bill mandates that within 180 days, the US government identify individuals involved in political persecution in Pakistan and impose penalties, including visa bans and restrictions on entry into the United States.

Adhadhu, a fairly popular mainstream online media portal, (known to be pro-MDP and anti-government in orientation) has faced the wrath of the Muizzu government. It has been consistently publishing anti-government stories even since President Muizzu assumed office. Their stories have highlighted the failures, corruption and errors of the government led by Md Muizzu. It has been learnt that Muizzu earlier this month allegedly called up Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and threatened him of ‘strictest action’ for coverage against his son by the media house. The trigger for this was the reported remarks targeting the President’s son, made by an opposition MDP activist, Mariyam ‘Mandhy’ Zubair, at a recent protest rally. The President’s spouse vehemently denied this allegation and also filed a civil suit against the MDP activist. Several senior leaders, Ministers and child rights bodies condemned the remarks, calling it invasion of the child’s dignity.

Islamist militants along the country's western border with Afghanistan, a statement said on Sunday. It said border troops killed all the militants in an exchange of fire during the night between March 22 and 23 in North Waziristan district. «Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate,» the army statement said. Islamabad says that Islamist militants who attack inside Pakistan, and against the army have safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies. The incident took place as Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan Sadiq Khan is on a two-day official visit to Kabul to talk about bilateral and economic issues, a statement from Pakistan's embassy in Kabul said.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted four terror operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist organisation in the September 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case, an official statement said on Sunday. The accused include Pakistan-based designated terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, and US-based Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passi, it said. In the chargesheet filed before the Special NIA court, Chandigarh, all four accused persons have been charged under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, and other related provisions, for their roles in planning and supporting the attack. The two terrorists — Rinda and Happy Passi — were the primary handlers and conspirators behind the attack, said the statement issued by the NIA. They had provided logistical support, terror funds, weapons, and ammunition to India-based on-ground operatives in Chandigarh for executing the grenade attack, it said.

Narendra Modi with American researcher and podcaster Lex Fridman is available now in more than 10 languages, the Prime Minister said on Sunday, while encouraging people to give it a listen. «The recent podcast with Lex Fridman is now available in multiple languages! This aims to make the conversation accessible to a wider audience. Do hear it,» read a post by PM Modi as he shared the link to the translations. The translations have been posted by public broadcaster Doordarshan in their multiple regional language channels. The episode is now available in Gujarati, Telegu, Punjabi, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, Assamese, Odia, Tamil and Malayalam.

With a total watch time of approximately 250 billion minutes, including 137 billion minutes on Star Sports and 110 billion minutes on JioHotstar, the tournament’s success was driven by several matches to remember, particularly the grand finale between India and New Zealand on 9 March in Dubai. The final saw peak concurrent viewership reach 122 million on TV and 61 million on JioHotstar, setting a new benchmark for digital viewership in cricket. The final became the second highest-rated ODI in TV history outside of World Cup matches, drawing 230 million viewers and accumulating 53 billion minutes of watch-time across television and digital platforms. A key highlight of the tournament was the India-Pakistan league-stage clash in Dubai, which had the audience stuck to their seats and became one of the most-watched ODIs in India.

Hangor-class submarine to Pakistan, strengthening their long-standing military alliance. The submarine, launched in Wuhan, China, is part of a $5 billion deal for eight such vessels, aimed at enhancing Pakistan’s naval prowess in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Armed with cutting-edge weaponry and sensor technology, the Hangor-class submarines signify a shift in regional maritime security dynamics. This naval cooperation aligns with China’s expanding strategic influence, particularly around Pakistan’s Gwadar port in Balochistan, a linchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Beijing’s support to Islamabad extends beyond submarines—Pakistan has also received advanced naval frigates, reconnaissance drones, and fighter jets from its closest ally.

Venue : Eden Park, Auckland New Zealand squad - Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Tim Robinson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Zakary Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Tim Seifert, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Will O'Rourke Pakistan squad - Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, Irfan Khan, Omair Yousuf, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris, Usman Khan, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score: Pakistan (Playing XI) - Mohammad Haris (WK), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (C), Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed. New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score: New Zealand (Playing XI) - Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Hay (WK), Michael Bracewell (C), Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears.

TTP outfit were killed by Pakistan police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in different engagements from January 1 to March 15, official data released on Thursday said. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police lost 26 policemen in the line of duty while fighting against terrorists during the same period, according to the data released by the Central Police Line here. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a militant group having ideological similarities with Afghan Taliban. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities recently, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, after the TTP group ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Giving the break-up of those injured, the Central Police Line data said, 31 were injured in gunbattles. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police faced 29 attacks on their installations in January, 24 in February and 15 till March 15 this year. The number of attacks on police posts made in the same period are 16 while seven police stations were attacked too.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made this statement during a meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Ruben Brekelmans, on Tuesday. The two nations discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation, including defence, security, information sharing, maritime collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and drones. However, the focal point of the conversation was Singh's firm stance on the issue of arms sales to Pakistan.

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Junail Zafar Khan, a club-level Pakistan-origin cricketer, has died after collapsing on the ground during a local match played in extreme heat at the Concordia College here. In his 40s, Khan was representing Old Concordians Cricket Club in a match against Prince Alfred Old Collegians last Saturday, news.com.au reported. After fielding for 40 overs and batting for seven, Khan collapsed around 4pm Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT). South Australia has been in the grip of extreme heat over and according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology, temperatures here were still above 40 degrees Celsius at the time. Adelaide Turf Cricket Association rules state that games are cancelled if the temperature climbs above 42 degrees Celsius. «We are deeply saddened by the passing of a valued member of the Old Concordians Cricket Club, who tragically suffered a medical episode while playing on the Concordia College oval today,» Khan's club said in a statement.

S Jaishankar on Tuesday stressed the importance of having an international order just like a domestic order. He slammed the United Nations for making the Kashmir invasion a dispute and turning the attacker and victim at par and called for having a «strong and fair» UN. In his remarks at the Session on 'Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations' at Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday, Jaishankar called the occupation of some parts of Kashmir by Pakistan «the longest standing illegal occupation» of territory by another country after the Second World War. Jaishankar said, «Let's give you a second example. We all speak of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Venue : University Oval, Dunedin New Zealand squad - Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Tim Robinson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Zakary Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Tim Seifert, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Will O'Rourke Pakistan squad - Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, Irfan Khan, Omair Yousuf, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris, Usman Khan, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem New Zealand vs Pakistan Match Details 2nd T20I of Pakistan tour of New Zealand, 2025 between New Zealand and Pakistan to be held at University Oval, Dunedin at 06:45 AM.

Chittagong port, Bangladesh Food Ministry said in a statement on Monday. "MV Tanais Dream carrying 22,500 tonnes of parboiled rice from India through an open tender and MV Hong Linh 1 carrying 12,500 tonnes of parboiled rice from Vietnam under the (Government-to-Government) G-to-G agreement executed on February 3, 2025 (2nd shipment) have arrived at Chittagong port", the statement said. It is to be noted that an agreement has been signed to import a total of 100,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam on a G-to-G basis.

Global South is being hindered by China’s growing economic and strategic clout, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Sunday. Delivering the fourth General Bipin Rawat Memorial Lecture in Delhi, he highlighted the increasing complexity China’s rise brings to global geopolitics. “The rise of China as a dominant economic and strategic force adds complexity, creates competition, and hampers India's effort to be the natural leader for the Global South,” General Dwivedi stated. He urged India to look towards Africa as a future power centre, recognising its potential role in the shifting global order. Despite its demographic and geographic advantages, India remains at a relatively lower global standing, he observed. “With the democratic shift and resource control race, we need to look at possibilities of Africa as a future power centre… India’s position will remain pivotal due to its geography, demography, democracy, prosperity, soft power, and inclusive approach,” he said.

The committee, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and comprising IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal S P Dharkar, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, and senior officials from DRDO and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), is expected to submit its report next month. This move comes as Pakistan aims to acquire at least 40 J-35A fifth-generation stealth jets from China, which is already showcasing prototypes of its sixth-generation aircraft. Meanwhile, China has stationed its fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 jets at airfields along the Indian border, such as Hotan and Shigatse. Given this, alongside delays in the production of the fourth-generation Tejas jets by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a source told TOI that the committee's primary goal is to «devise how best to get AMCA from the drawing board into the air by shrinking timelines and improving efficiency, including a good workable production-cum-business model with much greater private sector participation.»

Shoaib Malik recently opened up about his bond with his son, Izhaan Mirza Malik, following his divorce from Indian tennis star Sania Mirza. While Sania has primary custody, Shoaib has emphasized that he remains actively involved in Izhaan’s life, despite public scrutiny over his availability as a father. During a recent appearance on a Pakistani Ramzan show, Shoaib described his relationship with Izhaan as more of a friendship than a traditional father-son bond. He revealed that Izhaan affectionately calls him “bro,” and he reciprocates in the same way, making their dynamic playful and close-knit. He also shared that he makes an effort to visit Dubai twice a month, ensuring that he personally drops Izhaan at school and picks him up during his stay. Sports play a significant role in strengthening their bond. Shoaib expressed that despite the physical distance, he connects with his son almost daily through video calls, where they discuss everything from routine matters to their shared love for sports.

Pakistani gangster has claimed responsibility after a "grenade-like object" was hurled at the residence of Jalandhar-based YouTuber Rozer Sandhu on Sunday. Two videos have emerged since the incident, one in which a Pakistani gangster, Shahzad Bhatti, claiming that he carried out the attack against the YouTuber for allegedly using derogatory language against the Muslim community.

Abu Qatal’s death, which occurred on the night of Saturday in Pakistan’s Jhelum, has made headlines, as he was involved in some of the most devastating terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. He was also a close aide to 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Also known as Qatal Sindhi, he was a senior member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group and one of its most wanted terrorists. A key figure with close ties to Saeed, Qatal's activities were far-reaching, and his death is seen as a major blow to the terror network.